Clippers Strike Lightning With Win

The Los Angeles Clippers pulled out a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, 107-104, their second win in 3 games and 10th win of the season. The Clips avoided going to overtime as Kevin Durant's last-second 3-pointer sailed past the basket. LA shot .481 from the field and hit 11 3-pointers, while OKC shot .427 and had went 7-for-15 from beyond the arc. Eric Gordon had a monumental game, scoring 41 points and shooting 12-for-19. Al Thornton was incredible as well, with 34 points. Kevin Durant had a career night for the Thunder, with 46 points and 15 rebounds. 24 of those 46 points came from a franchise-record 24 free throws.

Kobe, Jackson Are All-Stars

Kobe Bryant was named a starter in the 2009 NBA All-Star game, the 11th time he has been named to the Western Conference team in his career. He will join Chris Paul, Tim Duncan, Yao Ming and Amare Stoudemire. Phil Jackson was named head coach of the Western Conference team, as the Lakers have clinched the best record in the conference by the All-Star game. Jackson is optimistic that Pau Gasol will be named a reserve next Thursday.

College Basketball Roundup - Washington

UCLA - The Bruins rebounded from a tough OT loss to defeat Washington State 61-59. First, UCLA had to avoid the collapse that hurt them in their last game. Nikola Dragovic scored 20 points, the only Bruin to score double-figures. Caleb Forrest led the Cougars with 19 points.

USC - The Trojans fell to Washington 78-73, their third conference loss. The Huskies took 40 free throws, hitting 32 of them; USC was 13 of 17 from the line. Daniel Hackett scored a season-high 24 points and DeMar DeRozan had 16. Taj Gibson had 15 points and 13 rebounds. Justin Dentmon led Washington with 22 points.

Lakers Breeze Past Wizards

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Washington Wizards 117-97, their third straight win. The Lakers scored 72 points in the first half to take a commanding lead, and the Wizards dropped to 9-33, making them next to last place in the NBA. The game gave big minutes to LA's bench, with Chris Mihm, Josh Powell and Sun Yue each having more than 5 minutes. 7 Lakers scored in double-figures, and the team shot a combined .536 from the field. Andrew Bynum had another dominant game, scoring 23 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in just 27:32. Pau Gasol scored 18 points to go with 5 rebounds. Lamar Odom had 16 points and 5 rebounds off the bench, and Derek Fisher had 8 assists and 4 steals. Sasha Vujacic scored 13 points, and Kobe Bryant had a quiet night with just 11. Antawn Jamison led the Wizards with 19 points, and JaVale McGee had a career-high 18 to go with 9 rebounds.

Kings Provide Their Own Avalanche

The Los Angeles Kings defeated the Colorado Avalanche 6-5, their second win in a row. The Kings piled it on quickly, scoring 5 goals in the second period, but almost let the game get away after Colorado scored 2 goals in the third to cut the lead down to 1. Alexander Frolov scored twice, and Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson, Kyle Calder, and Jarret Stoll each added a goal. Goalie Jonathan Quick could not handle the 41 shots from the Avalanche, allowing 5 to slip into the net.

Hallway Series Pt. 3

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated their cross-town rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, 108-97, their 6th straight win over the Clips. Andrew Bynum dominated the game, scoring a career-high 42 points, the only time a Laker has scored at least 40 points other than Kobe Bryant since Shaquille O'Neal in 2003. All of the Lakers' first 39 points came either in the paint or at the line, and shot 50% from inside the arc for the game. The Clips tried to hand on, and even led by 6 early in the second quarter, but were held to just 42 points in the second half. The Clippers shot 48.7% overall from the field. Kobe Bryant had his second triple-double in 3 games, with 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. Lamar Odom scored 19 points and snagged 9 rebounds. Luke Walton had a good night with 11 points. Rookie DeAndre Jordan had a stand-out night for the Clips, scoring 23 points and taking 12 rebounds. Al Thornton followed with 20 points, and Eric Gordon had 16.

Dodgers Sign Ausmus, Kent Retires

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed catcher Brad Ausmus (below) to a one-year, $1 million contract to serve as a backup to Russell Martin. Ausmus is a career .251 hitter with 79 home runs and 596 RBI, and has won 3 gold gloves. He is known for handling pitching staffs. 2B Jeff Kent is ready to retire from baseball tomorrow, ending his hall-of-fame career with the Dodgers. Kent has accumulated many incredible statistics over the years, including a .290 batting average, 377 home runs, 1518 RBIs, 560 doubles and a .500 slugging percentage. 351 of his homers are the most by any second baseman in baseball history. He won the NL MVP award in 2000, and is 5-time All Star and 4-time Silver Slugger. Kent played with Toronto, Cleveland, the New York Mets, San Francisco and Houston before coming to LA. His best year with the Dodgers came in 2005, his first season with the team, when he hit 29 home runs to go with 105 RBIs and 100 runs scored.

Kings Go Wild in Victory

The Los Angeles Kings defeated the Minnesota Wild 5-2, ending a four-game losing streak. Goalie Jonathan Quick made 25 saves for the Kings, and Kyle Calder had a goal and assist. Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Derek Armstrong, and Patrick O'Sullivan each scored goals. Owen Nolan and Marek Zidlicky each scored goals for the Wild. Niklas Backstrom made 22 saves on 26 shots, and Minnesota was held to just 27 shots. LA scored 3 goals in the second period after being outscored 15-4 during their losing streak.

Editor's Note: Robinson Contributed to Obama's Effort

I know that our newest president is a die-hard fan of Chicago's South-Siders, but I can't help but think he owes a little gratitude to our Los Angeles Dodgers. After all, back when the boys in blue played in Brooklyn, they signed an obscure Negro Leagues star by the name of Jack Roosevelt Robinson. Branch Rickey, then the Dodgers' president and general manager, wanted a guy with "guts enough not to fight back" against the racism that was certain to appear in any game Robinson played in. Robinson used that self control to become one of baseball's greatest players. His legacy continues as his number 42 has been retired by all 30 major league teams. He helped break the country's color barrier, not just baseball's. President Obama should look at the history of one of the greatest to learn his impact as a man who absorbed any and all racism he encountered to make himself a better person, on and off the field. Obama can root for the White Sox all he wants. I just ask that he consider coming to Los Angeles or Brooklyn to see how much Robinson helped pave the way to where he is now, wearing Dodger Blue or not.

Dodgers Agree with Repko, Martin, Broxton

The Los Angeles Dodgers have come to terms on 1-year contracts with outfielder Jason Repko, catcher Russel Martin, and closer Jonathan Broxton, avoiding arbitration with all three. Repko served primarily as a reserve outfielder, only being called up for a few days after Juan Pierre was injured in late June/early July before being added to the 40-man roster in September. Broxton was the set-up man before Takashi Saito went down with an injury. He became the de-facto closer, making 14 saves in 17 chances. Martin has gone to the All-Star game the last two years, and hit .280 last season. Martin's new contract is now worth $3.9 million, Broxton's is $1.8 million plus incentives, and Repko's is $500,000 plus incentives. Andre Ethier is the only player left that has not reached an agreement. If he and the Dodgers cannot come to an agreement over a new contract, then the two will plead their cases for their desired contract before an arbitrator who will select one.

Clippers Can't Dance With Wolves

The Clippers fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves 94-86, their 13th loss in 14 games. The Clips were without Marcus Camby, whose sprained ankle has added him to a long list of injured players. The T-Wolves put up 58 points in the paint against LA, and committed just 8 turnovers that resulted in 6 points. Eric Gordon still looks stellar in his rookie season, scoring 25 points, and Steve Novak came off the bench to score 18. Al Jefferson led the Wolves with 20 points and 17 rebounds, and Craig Smith added 20 points as well.

Lakers Take Care of LeBron, Cavs

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 105-88, snapping a 5-game losing streak against the Cavs. Kobe Bryant almost went down after dislocating his right ring finger in the first quarter, but managed to stick it out and stay in the game. The Lakers held Cleveland to just 16 points in the third quarter, and to 43% shooting during the game. LA shot .524 to take the win. Bryant's sheer will helped him nab 20 points and 12 assists, and Pau Gasol led with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Sasha Vujacic came off the bench to score 14 points with a blocked shot, and Lamar Odom added 8 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots. LeBron James was quieted by the Lakers, shooting 9-for-25 with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Mo Williams followed with 16 points and 6 rebounds.

Editor's Note: Leinart & Polamalu Are Worlds Apart

When Trojan QB Matt Leinart (above) won his Heisman Trophy in 2004, he probably couldn't have thought that he would be in the Super Bowl four years later. However, if he did imagine it, he certainly didn't think that he would be on the bench. After all, this is a guy who started in two national championship games with USC. But with Kurt Warner's emergence as Arizona's shining star, Leinart has no where else to go but the bench. And that seems to be the exact opposite of the situation with former USC safety Troy Polamalu (right). Despite all of his accomplishments and achievements, Polamalu left school after 2002, all before the glory years under Pete Carroll. He never had the chance to compete for National Titles or BCS championships. Now that he's a Steeler however, Polamalu has the opportunity to become a two-time champion, just like Leinart had in 2005. While Leinart can only watch from the sidelines after spending his entire college career playing in big games, Polamalu has his opportunity to be in games he never could while at USC.

NFL Conference Championship

The NFL Conference Championships have concluded, and the teams have been determined for Super Bowl XLIII. They are as follows:

NFC: ARIZONA def. PHILADELPHIA 32-25

AFC: PITTSBURGH def. BALTIMORE 23-14

Arizona has seen a tremendous resurrection of their franchise, and will become the first 9-win team to compete in the Super Bowl. The Cardinals crushed a serious Philadelphia comeback, and Kurt Warner padded his Hall-of-Fame resume with 279 yards. Larry Fitzgerald (below) also made his mark in Phoenix, receiving 152 yards with 3 touchdowns. However, the win over the Eagles was mired in controversy, as Kevin Curtis was roughed up by a Cardinal defender while trying to make a catch, and subsequently dropped the ball. Some believe that defensive pass interference should have been called, while others explain that there was not enough contact to warrant DPI. The Steelers broke through Baltimore's stifling defense, as Ben Roethlisberger (above) threw for 255 yards and a touchdown. Following a bye week, the Steelers and the Cardinals will duke it out in Tampa Bay to determine the next champion of the NFL.

Kings Make Statement

The Los Angeles Kings were defeated by the Dallas Stars 3-2 in a shootout, despite the return of key defensemen Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty. The game was an improvement after LA could only muster one goal in their last 2 games. Alexander Frolov scored with 16.9 seconds left to send the game into overtime, and Dustin Brown had a goal as well. The Kings could not score one goal in the shootout, losing to Dallas 1-0 in the SO. Mike Ribeiro scored the SO's lone goal, as well as a goal in regulation.

Clips' Win Ends Streak, Camby

The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, snapping a long 12-game losing streak, a streak that started with a loss to the Bucks. Unfortunately, it meant Marcus Camby had to leave the game with a sprained ankle. For the first time this season the Clips shot over 50% with .545, while holding Milwaukee to .388 shooting. Camby and Brian Skinner each scored 18 points for LA, and Ricky Davis came off the bench to get 13. Richard Jefferson finished with 26 points for the Bucks, and Michael Redd added 21 points.

College Basketball Roundup: Arizona Part-2

UCLA - The Bruins were upset by Arizona State in overtime, losing 61-58 to the Sun Devils. UCLA only had just one basket in the final 13:14, and that was in the OT. Darren Collison had a chance to get the win with the last possession of regulation, but his shot hit off the rim. Josh Shipp led UCLA with 16 points, and Collison had 14. James Harden scored 24 points to lead the Sun Devils.

USC - The Trojans slipped by Arizona with some crafty fouls, winning 65-64. The most important was when Jamelle Horn pushed Daniel Hackett out of bounds with less than three seconds. Hackett hit the first free-throw to clinch the victory. Dwight Lewis led USC with 21 points, and Taj Gibson had 13 points and 8 rebounds. Chase Budinger led the Wildcats with 19 points, and Jordan Hill added 14.